Mind the Ingredients
by AnOctoberPepper
Summary: When illegal potions ingredients from international shores start falling into the hands of dark wizards and witches, Harry and Ron take the case, only to get tangled up dealing with the six children of two of the biggest smugglers. POV's are OC, Harry, and other various characters.
1. Chapter 1: Suddenly Wizard Cops

_A/N Undying love goes to J.K. Rowling for creating the characters and places I love. If you know it, it's hers (except the Wizard Cops thing, that's all Starkid, sorry I couldn't resist), and if not- I'm just grateful I can play in her sandbox._

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Chapter 1: Suddenly Wizard Cops

They eventually did the math; at the same moment Adam was punching the opposing Quodpot team's second best player in the nose for breaking his brother's leg, their parents had just put their fingers on a miniature, porpoise-shaped portkey, and disappeared to what the wizard cops and the aurors would later tell them was probably South America. Probably.

When the six Williamson siblings did, finally, pull into the driveway of their brick and yellow-stucco suburban Kansas house a half hour after that moment, they were nursing broken bones, bruises, and more then their fair share of burns. They were hoping for nothing more than warm showers, their mother's potions cabinet, and dinner; a hot, homemade dinner.

Instead they were all surprised to see a swarm of wizard cops. Thick red tape wrapped quickly around wooden stakes surrounded the house and the charmed green lawn, and there was the distinctly uneven air of recently cast concealment charms. They stared in disbelief at the unexpected intruders, their minds all making up their own horror stories about what would bring this fate on them. Had someone been murdered, was it a house fire, a break in? After a minute a heavyset wizard in black and blue wizard cop robes with cheap gold trim and an uncomfortable looking utility belt around his waist sidled lazily up to the car.

Ashing wrenched the door of the passenger's seat open, the window tapping the older wizard in his rounded stomach, and hobbled out. The car was brown, and busted up, but that kept muggles off of it, and away from the charmed buttons that speckled every surface. The oldest son of the Williamson family stood stubbornly on his unbroken leg, a look of anger and confusion etched on every inch of his face, from his dark eyebrows to his square chin. He was not in the mood. He had a badly magicked brace on his leg, dirt everywhere, a worsening black eye, a possible concussion, and now his home was what he could only assume was a crime scene. He looked the cop up and down and waited, arms crossed over his chest.

The wizard finally asked, with an air of someone who wanted more authority than they actually deserved, "You the Williamson children?" He tilted his heavy body and looked into the back seat where the four younger siblings were starting to make their way out the far door. He looked at each of them in turn as they got out. Madison and Jeff with burnt blackened arms, and at least one burnt off eyebrow between the two of them tumbled out. Roe, who their Mother wouldn't allow to play Quodpot, _had _been involved in the post game squabble and had a cut or two but little Quincy basically skipped out of the car unscathed, though nonetheless tired and hungry. "You kids alright?" the cop added raising an eyebrow.

Ashing deflated an inch. "We'll live", but as a bit of his anger disappeared, worry crept in. "Is everything okay here? Where are Mom and Dad?" He asked the cop while nodding in the direction of the house.

The police officer took a lazy breath, avoiding the question, but not looking like someone about to relay a death notice. He wasn't coddling them. He wasn't offering them ice cream, like the lady who came by to tell them about their grandmother. He glanced at Ashing before his gaze darted back to the house and he decided to explain, "We were trying to arrest them see. Seems like they disappeared right before we got here though." Ashing blinked at the cop, arrest them? Behind him Adam grabbed the back of Roe's shirt keeping him from running off into the house while Madison protectively picked Quincy up off the ground.

"You don't say." Adam called loudly back to the cop. "So they're not here?" He clarified. The cop shot Adam a suspicious look before turning back to Ashing.

"No, haven't seen them, but." He paused, and his face started to melt into the bad news face Ashing had been fearing. "We're going to have to take you all in for questioning."

Then within minutes, and Ashing's jaw still hanging slack, a mediwitch was called in from the Wichita "Witch-it-all" medical center. She snapped a few potion bottles open, shoved them down the kids throats, waved her wand a few times, and fixed them each up, all while they still sat outside by the car.

Their house was a ransacked mess, but they barely had time to look around at the upturned tables and emptied dressers. With the threat of being arrested, and fear in their throats they were ushered inside to get any necessities and to change clothes. Then before Adam could fully crawl out his bedroom window and sneak off to meet Tabitha, their floo was turned back on, and they were bustled away to the government headquarters in Salem, located barely off the campus of the Salem Witches' Institute.

It was a long flat building with half flickering neon lights that spelled "Sush" hopefully on one side and displayed a falling down letter K on the other. In between were only the leftover wires, holes and bolts of signs that might have been enticing fifty years previously. Old dumpsters out front gave the entire establishment an unwelcome atmosphere, but thanks to a creative confusion spell no muggles questioned why five days a week several cars were parked out front of the run down strip mall. The siblings, escorted by four cops didn't get to see the outside of the building that day, but flooed straight into the derelict food court.

The trip was a simple one though Madison and an unfortunate cop were singed by a hibachi grill after not jumping off the table fast enough. Adam and the cop who had lightly handcuffed him after finding him halfway out a window appeared out of a brick oven that still smelled of bread, pizza and burnt cheese, which reminded Adam sadly of his rumbling stomach.

Everyone else slipped easily out of their own fireplaces and they all gathered together at a cobwebbed opening that led to the main hallway. The building was quiet even for a Saturday, and the lights were dimmed throughout the building. The large cop who had talked to them at the car, and had later introduced himself as Officer Fisher, counted heads and then led the way down to a boarded up arcade.

On a piece of plywood covering the front door of the arcade Fisher tapped the center of a grafittied anarchist symbol three times, then tickled the stomach of a multicolored painted rabbit next to it. The rabbit hopped away and moments later a small doorway appeared into the blacklit arcade. Fisher squeezed his way into the room first, followed slowly by each of the children and the officers accompanying them. Lights blinked on the many, supposedly broken, game consoles, giving the room a fun but disorienting feeling.

Fisher stalked straight up to the Pac-man console at the far end of the room, behind a brightly colored, but upturned table and chairs, and waited for the high scores panel to blink onto the screen. Ashing watched over his shoulder as the cop pressed the down button several times. Finally a bright bar of blue highlighted the initials WCC. "Wizard Cop Central." Adam whispered into his ear. Ashing nodded and six orange, prize-ticket sized nametags printed out. Each had a name and the phrase "Property of WCC" printed in large letters. Fisher turned to the group, ready to pass them out, but as he glanced back down at the names and back up to the children the stuttering look of being overwhelmed by numbers crossed his face.

Ashing eventually took pity on him and took the tags out of the man's hand. "Just have to know the presidents." He muttered in the officer's direction as he stuck the ticket that read "Washington" to his own chest. He slapped Adams' on his next oldest brother's chest, and handed Madison and Jeff's theirs, then stuck Roe's "Monroe" ticket on his chest. He knelt down to Quincy's level and stuck hers on. She looked back at him looking slightly peeved. He was uncertain if she wanted to put on her own name tag, or if she just wanted to play with her doll house and was annoyed about this long side trip. Either way he couldn't do anything about it. He sighed and got back up to his feet.

Fisher nodded, then escorted them behind the prize table and through a door that opened up into the main offices of the U.S. Department of Magic. The linoleum floors were clean here, and the walls painted white. Ashing unconsciously counted the heads of his siblings, made sure Madison was holding Quincy's hand, and Roe was hovering near Adam.

The area was slightly busier than the outside hallway. Hardworking weekend employees or unlucky interns and necessary workers walked the halls with purpose; drinking Eddies Enchanted Coffees and levitating stacks of papers in front of them. Folded notices and leaflets fluttered overhead, some lost because their intended recipients were gone for the weekend, and others speeding toward a known destination.

They moved swiftly through the halls, into a side hallway, down a few sets of stairs into what was clearly the basement level and finally into the offices of the WCC, as marked by a few signs, and several guards. Fisher and the three other cops with him were greeted at the entrance by similarly dressed cops with hopeful faces. They stopped at a desk where a woman with a neat brown plait of hair going down her back stood up quickly at the sight of Fisher and asked politely. "Officer Fisher, are these the. . . ?"

"No." Fisher replied. "Just the kids, get 'em sorted and into a room. I believe our guests wanted to speak to them?" The older children who had been listening in glanced at one another, each wondering if the other had more information than they themselves did. They were all sadly disappointed at seeing the other's confused faces.

Fisher took a deep breath and waited as the cop behind the desk slipped around it and glanced over each of the kids.

She began a long-winded legal spiel that ended with "If you are carrying such products please dispose of them now, or hand them over to security on your way in." Behind them Fisher coughed, and the woman smiled. "I'm security on the way in, so can I have all dangerous objects?" The children gave the woman deadened looks, then the four with wands handed them reluctantly over, Adam letting Ashing pluck his out of his pocket, as his hands were still tied behind his back.

"Anything else?" the witch asked, almost cheerily. What was she waiting for? They stared at her for another long moment before she turned back to Fisher. "Alright then." Then both cops waved their wands in the children's general direction checking for any more contraband. Nothing but a few trick treats in Adam's pockets were found and the grumbling group was led through barred doors and down a hallway into a side room with a long metal table down the center.

Six chairs had been set up along one side, while only three were set up along the other. Ashing took a calming breath upon entering and walked to the far end of the room. Adam looked back at the younger kids until Madison hustled Roe up to him. He waited until Fisher uncuffed him and then walked next to Roe and they sat at the two chairs farthest from the door. Madison and Jeff sat down next, and Quincy, forgoing her own seat, perched herself on Madison's bony knees. Feeling okay about this set up Ashing sat down next to the girls. Fisher shut the door on them with a click, and the room was suddenly quiet and empty except for the children.

Ashing looked around wearily. The walls were grey, the floor as well, everything was as classically foreboding as possible. Interrogations happened in rooms like this, Ashing thought to himself. Terrible interrogations. He looked down the row at his tired and worried younger siblings, wishing that they could all go home. He could stay. He would be the one to stay if this all went wrong anyway. Two months ago he had turned 18, became a legal adult in the eyes of the muggles and United States wizarding world. He still didn't know what his parents had done, what had gotten them in this situation, but he was certain someone was out there sorting it out. Making it all ok. Certainly this was a very large misunderstanding, and his parents would be the next people to walk through the door. They would laugh in their sweet way and then take them all out for dinner, where they could confuse the muggle waiters with easy spells, joke shop pranks, and the constant switching of names, like they had every other time something weird or bad had happened.

There was continued silence, broken only by the occasional question from Quincy or Roe, or the scuffle of feet. Time was stretching in the grey room, and just when he suspected that they might have been forgotten, a wizard cop with a stern look snapped open the door. She crossed the room and sat down, without a word, across from Adam. Ashing checked on his almost 17-year-old brother out of the corner of his eyes and saw Adam looking for any place to look that wasn't the woman's stern face. Ashing turned back to the door when he heard the click of the doorknob again. The door slid open and two faces that told him his parents were in trouble for something significantly more potent than j-walking stepped over the threshold.

The first man was tall with red hair and the stubble of someone who had been working long hours for too long. The second had black, severely disheveled hair, a matching shadowy beard with flecks of grey, dark circles under his eyes, and, Ashing realized with a quick intake of breath, a lightning bolt scar peaking out from under his locks.

Several curse words rushed through his head, both filled with excitement and terror at the circumstances for which this event was taking place. He was very much certain he did not want his first meeting with the famed wizard, and powerful auror Harry Potter, and his equally intimidating once-partner Ron Weasley to occur across an interrogation table.


	2. Chapter 2: The Kids are All Right?

Chapter 2: The Kids are All Right?

_A/N So I've been trying to be as vaguely cannon as possible but I just got around to reading the coverage from the Quidditch world cup, so I *spoiler alert?* Found out about an hour ago that Ron switched out of his Auror position to work at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes with George. So if it sounds like I'm contriving my way out of him being Harry's full time auror partner by saying he's only helping with this case, it's because *nods excessively* I'm contriving my way out of Ron being Harry's full time partner. Sorry._

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"I'm going to Hogwarts in six days!" Lily screamed excitedly while running into the kitchen.

James was on kitchen clean-up duty, and had been since an unfortunate incident with his pet Pygmy Puff and Lily's hair. "What's so exciting about that." He grumbled dragging a large pan out of the sink and drying it with a towel. He tossed a glare over to the kitchen table as he did so, letting his mother, father, and even his uncle Ron know exactly what he was thinking about this punishment.

"Yes you are, and it will be amazing." Harry replied to the red haired girl bouncing before him. He pulled her over into a one armed hug. She slipped onto his lap and peered over the table at all the pieces of paper and maps and names and pictures spread out before them. This was not the first time such a conference had taken place at the family's kitchen table. She looked at the familiar forms with the same amount of confusion that she always did.

At that moment her Aunt Hermione walked back into the room carrying yet another book, and wearing a frown. She set it down in front of her husband and pulled up a seat around the table. They could still hear a loud and possibly dangerous game of exploding snap going on above them, but the adults were too distracted to put an end to it. Uncle George's newer, more vicious version of the old card game would probably not leave any permanent damage, and if it could he would not have handed the game over to one of Ginny's kids, for fear of life and limb. Hermione almost wished that this wasn't one of Kreature's nights off and that he was upstairs with them.

Lily reached out to trace the face of a middle-aged woman in one of the many pictures. Her face was not moving in this photo, for some reason she couldn't discern, but it made it easier to pick out her particular features, her brown eyes and dark black hair. She was curvy under her sweater and scarf, and smiled as warmly as her own Grandma Weasley.

"Teddy still not talking to you?" Ron asked breaking the small thoughtful silence that had passed over the group. Harry shook his head and Ginny took a sad sip of tea.

"Not at any socially acceptable decibel. He's got his reasons, and they're actually perfectly valid." Harry said rubbing away a headache with his Lily free hand. The eleven-year-old leaned back into his arms and he could smell her potioned clean hair and felt a stab of annoyance that he hadn't been home more this summer. "In all honesty, I'm on his side." Harry shrugged. "But."

"You can't just let this situation run out of control. It's injuring muggles and Wizards alike." Hermione finished indignantly. Harry nodded unhappily, holding up a hand to calm his friend. He knew the arguments on both sides, and he had chosen his side a long time ago.

Lily still didn't know what they were talking about. She had vague ideas; Teddy had ran James' ear off about a week ago, and her Dad had been busier than she had seen him in years, and more tired too. She knew his work had something to do with the attacks in Hogsmede, the people locked away, and the several people ill at St. Mungos, but she also suspected her parents were trying their hardest to keep the information from her. She would have to ask James later. He would tell her what was going on. That was if she even wanted to know.

Harry finally sighed, noting an end to this night's contemplation, and Ron leaned with a yawn back in his seat. The day had been a severe disappointment. They had been gathering intelligence for six months in order to hold off a shipment and pin the blame on four individuals. They finally had proof, but as they found out an hour ago, at least two individuals had disappeared. Maybe something in their system and their planning had gone horribly wrong. Maybe there was a leak or misinformation. Whatever it was, their suspects were gone. Portkeyed somewhere far away, and from there flooed or apparated beyond the arms of the ministry and all of their international allies. On the bright side the pair's disappearances could mean a slow down of transported goods onto their soil, on the other side, it meant there were fugitives on the loose.

Lily's wiry frame was getting heavy on his knee, but he could hardly care, the weight reminded him that he was home and could be close to his kids, that he was in fact still awake and part of a family.

"Did you get to practice today?" He asked her. They had bought her a new broom at the beginning of the summer so she could get in practice before school, and she had been working every day. She had said more than once that she wanted to snatch up a position on the quidditch team as a first year, just like her father. She nodded and turned back to smile at him. "I'm gonna knock Olivia off the team so fast this year."

"Well, coming from this family you should." Ron reminded her from across the table with a smile. Lily smiled back, excited again about the possibility of playing.

"You're not gonna make it." James grumbled from behind the counter.

"James!" Harry scolded.

"What she's not!" He almost yelled back, stacking plates loudly in the cabinet.

"You don't need to be negative." Ginny reminded.

"I'm done." James said stuffing the last of the forks into a drawer and glaring at his parents.

Lily had shrunk back into Harry's side. She was as upset about her brother's words as she was about how upset he was in general. He was always upset these days. He would only play games with her sometimes and rarely ever smiled. His jokes were mean spirited and even his pranks were more scary than funny.

Ginny walked around the counter that separated the dining room and the kitchen and did a quick check of the area. "Looks good. You can go on up." She said lightly, dismissing James who slumped out of the room.

As soon as he was out the door Ginny took a deep breath and let it out. "He's really only a fourth year." She commented with a note of distress, and Harry nodded.

"He'll be alright." Harry told her with as much optimism as he could muster. They all silently remembered their own teenage years. Yes, fifteen was hard, but James would grow out of it, just like his father had. Or at least that's what they all hoped.

Across the table Ron was starting to gather everything up. It was getting to be the time of night when everyone should head home, get ready for sleep if they were lucky, or in Harry's case another sleepless night of scheming and planning. He was almost jealous that Ron had a different job to go to in the morning, that he could step out of his temp position any minute. Harry had only pulled him in as a favor, an expert in "you know, sometimes getting things you probably shouldn't have." At which point Harry had put his fingers in his ears and made loud lalalalaing noises until his friend stopped talking. Whatever it was that Ron usually got his hands on was significantly less important than the slugs and razorgrass being imported today, but Harry felt somehow comforted to have him and Hermione at his side again. He nonetheless couldn't get himself too worked up about this mission, it was just another day, just another set of dark wizards, and his scariest moments were hopefully long gone. The next day would be a good day, and hopefully they would get one step closer to being finished with this particular set of evil.

He hugged Hermione and Ron and the children as they prepared to floo out. "See you tomorrow?" Ron asked.

"I'll drop by the store." Harry replied and with one more hug his friend flooed away leaving the living room empty except for himself and Ginny.

There was a brief moment of quiet before the flames burst up again. An unfamiliar head flared into the fire and before he knew it Harry and Ginny both had their wands out and pointed directly at it.

"Sorry sir," It yelled, trying to be calming but sounding more terrified. "I'm Fisher, Fisher, from the U.S. Department. I've been working with your department through our defense offices." Harry contemplated this for a moment.

"That's how you got this Floo code?"

"The auror department gave it to me." The head replied. Harry swore a bit. He would have a security talk, again, tomorrow with some of the newer aurors, fresh out of training. He was starting to consider requiring a common sense class for all new employees.

"Very well, what's going on?"

"We have the family of two of the escaped convicts."

"Suspects." Harry corrected without thinking. It was a constant correction he made to other aurors, and anyone working below him. There will be a trial and people will be proven guilty, he always reminded them seriously.

"Uh, suspects." The man in the fire corrected. "but would you still like to come talk to them?" He asked.

"Yes" Harry replied. "US offices?" He clarified.

"Yes sir."

"I'll be there shortly, I need to grab a few things." He paused "and a person. Thank you." The man nodded with seriousness and pulled his head quickly out of the fire. Harry sighed and rustled his hair around on his head.

Ginny was still standing next to him, and she tried to smile encouragingly. "Good news then?" She asked. They both broke into weary smiles. "I'll wrangle the kids into bed." She added.

"Thanks."

They kissed quickly on the lips and Ginny left the room picking up games and socks on the way upstairs. Harry flooed to the Weasleys' and before the hour was up they were getting clearance to floo across international borders.


	3. Chapter 3: To Young to Lie

Chapter 3: To Young to Lie

"So?" Harry asked, scratching the corner of his nose and looking down at an open file where Ashing noticed the face of his mother beaming up at the auror. "You haven't heard from you parents since when this morning?" He asked simply. There had been no preamble, no explanation. The prominent auror, and his friend had just sat down tiredly, opened a file, looked down and asked them this.

Ashing was still getting over the shock of seeing them, but pulled himself together enough to look down the row at the others. Maybe it was their mother's constant vague grumbling about never telling the police anything, but not a single one of them was talking. Adam was acting smart enough, at the moment, to keep his mouth shut until they knew what was going on. The twins in the middle, Madison and Jeff weren't going to do anything without the older two's consent, and Adam was giving Roe a stern look, so that was covered. The silence lasted for ten seconds before Quincy wiggled up in her seat without a care and said "Mommy made me cheerios for breakfast." Harry looked up from the folder, his expression suddenly surprised, as if he had just realized where he was. His inquisitive eyes eventually rested on Quincy's innocent ones and he treated her with a light, tired smile. He seemed surprised to find someone so young sitting before him, but he didn't seem at all upset about it.

"Did your Mom say anything about going on a trip this morning?" He asked kindly. Ashing wanted to be suspicious, to hear some venom in this statement, something to make him feel like his family was being falsely accused and abused by the police, but Harry, Mr. Potter, Auror Potter, looked genuinely interested in what his six-year old sister had to say. Harry folded his hands and leaned on the table looking at her as if he were simply a parent inquiring about a child's day at school. This wasn't right. The head of the auror department didn't stop by to talk to kids about their day. Whatever was going on was big enough for the head auror to be here, to cross oceans and to find out about their parents. Quincy did the eye shift and plucked at one of her many black curls that meant she was thinking. He didn't have to stop her from talking however, because before she could reply Madison pulled Quincy back away from the table snuggling her on her lap and quieting her with a smothering kiss on her cheek, and a shush.

Harry leaned back in his seat. He looked less stressed than he had upon entering the room. He took in a deep breath. Next to him Ron looked up from his own, smaller, file wondering where his friend was. Wondering if he was meant to ask the next question. He looked back at Harry, who was looking at each of the kids; each black head of hair, each pair of inquisitive eyes, and wide, flat noses.

He had been given a quick rundown of names and ages by the woman at then end of the table before entering the room, but he was honestly having trouble telling them apart. He had been told their ages; eighteen, seventeen, fourteen-year old twins, thirteen, and six. It was dizzying to imagine, but there was a similar problem at every Weasley family reunion, or whenever he and Ginny took Hermione and Ron's kids out to dinner with their family.

He tried to piece it together. The twins were clearly in the middle. The girl had her long, straight black hair pulled into a ponytail, though it was crooked and dirty, perhaps from an adventurous afternoon. Her long face was not out of place on her lanky body. Her twin brother next to her was a perfect counter. He had a short haircut that had clearly overgrown during the summer to half cover his eyes. He was short, chubby, broader than his sister, and clearly waiting for the moment when he would shoot up to the heights of his older brothers.

Harry wasn't sure who the oldest was. The older boy right next to the girls had cleanly cut hair on a face with just the hint of a shadow on a pointed chin. On the other end sat another older boy, his hair curly, much like the youngest girl's, it hung down to his prominent ears, and occasionally flopped into his eyes. He had an intent stare that interested Harry.

Next to him sat a much younger boy who seemed content to watch his fingers slide back and fourth along the edge of the table, making quiet noises under his breath as everyone talked around him. Roe, Harry thought. The boy the ministry worker sidestepped when discussing the family situation. He too had straight black hair, but it was cut away to almost non-existence. There was a spark behind his brown eyes, just like behind those of the youngest, who still squirmed around on her older sister's lap.

Harry hadn't expected children when he walked in. He had hoped for an uncle or brother of the suspects, but this was what he had.

He worried the kids had found power in numbers, like his own kids sometimes did. If the older ones weren't talking, none would. He wracked through his auror training. There was no information about interrogating teens. Though he was glad there wasn't. He tried to pick out which child might be the Albus of the group, the one who would stand alone, besides the baby of the family, but they all looked pretty set.

He scanned the row again and despite the number there was something familiar about them. Perhaps he had seen their pictures before in all the paperwork; maybe they were a good enough mix of their parents. "Do you all even know why you're here?" That's what it was, he noticed, the look on their faces were familiar. Something was running through Harry's mind; times when he had been taken places without warning, or any explanation, had been asked questions he didn't know if he should answer.

Quincy started reaching to play with the handles on the chairs and the side of the table. She was fidgety and board. Roe was swinging his feet.

Ashing looked into the kind green eyes of the man across the table and decided that he could step a little further into the dark depths of trusting him. Ashing shook his head just enough to let the auror know that they had no clue what was going on. He tried to say they were out of their comfort zone, that they were lost, and in a cold grey room without their parents. That they weren't going to say a thing without a very good explanation.

Harry sighed heavily and sat up straighter, his fingers still interlaced, trying to figure out what to do. No, they didn't have time for this. They had two suspects, Merlin knew where, on the loose. These suspects could finally help them get to their elusive dark wizards. There was international security watching their department, waiting to help, or waiting to save themselves if need be. Harry needed something to come of this, but he suspected it wasn't going to come from this group. But as someone earlier that day had said, just a hint_, a hint_ would bring them all closer; an overheard spell, a Spanish phrase book versus a Portuguese one sitting on a coffee table. These were the suspects' kids, an overheard conversation could get them one step closer, and, if by chance, they knew where their parents were running to the aurors could bypass guessing, go to the end location, and be back by dinner, or breakfast at this rate. On the other hand if these kids knew what their parents were running from they might be even less likely to hand over their parents than before. He calculated this all, went through everything he had learned in his twenty-one years as an auror, then took into account everything he had learned in his fifteen years as a parent and thirty-nine years as a human, and leaned forward folding his hands in front of him. Ron closed his own folder and waited.

"I'm Auror Potter, this is my partner, Mr. Weasley, and at the end is Mrs. Clark from the ministry here. She's been contacting your relatives and has given me basic information about who you all are." Harry took a breath before diving into the real reason they were all here. "Your parents are an integral part of a . . . smuggling ring that's been selling illegal potions ingredients straight to at least one dark wizard in The United Kingdom as well as other countries. We were very close to bringing them down today, maybe we have now that they've disappeared. But your parents are an important part of bringing down dark wizards and the rest of the smuggling ring."

"That's impossible." Madison sounded more than stunned, and even after she had shared her sentiment her mouth hung open in awe. Ashing was too stunned himself to be worried about the girl's outburst.

"We're Kansas . . .ites." Jeff picked up where his twin left off, trying to create a word for the people who live in Kansas.

"Dad's British actually." Adam corrected from the end of the table, and Madison rolled her eyes.

"Barely." She huffed. Across the table Ron raised an eyebrow at this piece of information.

Jeff piped back up "yeah, but we're from Kansas, wizards and witches in Kansas don't smuggle things. We eat our body weight in corn, deep fry Oreos once a year, and stare at the vast expanses of nothingness between us and any border whatsoev" Jeff started but was cut off when Harry noted.

"They were mainly smuggling potions ingredients, actually. Prairie Pepper slugs, Razorgrass, Cloudvines, among other things. All ingredients that were either created, or grow well in your country and specific location even." He continued, feeling bad about breaking Jeff's ideals about his hometown. Instead Jeff shrugged, seemingly not surprised.

"Razorgrass's not illegal." Ashing noted.

"It's illegal to ship over boarders. It's recently been banned by the ministry as well." Ron answered from next to Harry.

"Why's that?" Ashing inquired sincerely.

"They've all been misused, and the ministry thought it would be best to discontinue all imports and sales." Ron answered for his friend.

"That's ridiculous." Adam pitched in from the end of the table.

"It's also irrelevant to why we are here." Harry answered with a sigh.

"Ok, so why are we here?" Adam bit out.

"We need to find your parents." Harry explained getting back to business. The children all clammed up, certain now that they didn't want to say anything about their parents.

"We think they went to South America, but any information with more detail than that would be helpful." Harry reiterated calmly.

"Nope." Adam quipped. Harry's face almost sunk to an annoyed look but he caught it and looked at Ashing, hopeful that he might have more information.

"Look, I know this is hard. To believe us, to want to be helpful when it's you parents. . " Harry started. He may have made a mistake in explaining what was going on, but it had felt right at the time.

"No. I mean, nope, we don't have any information." Adam cut in. "We can't help." Harry gave him a skeptical look.

"Adam, am I right?" Harry guessed looking down at a sheet of paper clipped to his folder, then looking up at the second oldest boy. Adam looked back, almost unafraid. "You sure you haven't overheard anything, seen anything that might give you a hint." Adam as well as Roe and Madison shook their heads no. "They haven't had any late night meetings with anyone?" Harry pushed, hopeful.

"No" Adam answered again. Harry sighed, and looked at each of the kids in turn.

"Haven't seen anything have you Quincy?" Harry asked as both the men's eyes landed with playful glints on the younger girl. Quincy reached across the table against Madison's will to touch the side of Ron's folder. "I saw Mrs. Turner yesterday. She came over for lunch, and I got to play with Holly" Quincy told the two men seriously. Ashing gave them a shrug that said, "you were the ones who asked the six-year-old girl", and Harry tried to look pleased with that information when he said "thank you".

He then unfolded his hands on the table, disappointed. He looked over to Ron and a silent conversation passed between the two. There was a long silent moment in the room, and though Adam chose to stare boldly at the two aurors, Ashing, Madison and Jeff had the sense to look uncomfortably away.

"Okay. We'll be in contact in case your parents try to make contact." Harry informed them with a pointed look at each of the older two. He didn't mean it as a threat, but when he left the room, he realized that by saying those words it meant those kids were suddenly cut off from their parents altogether. Just as he almost was the year Sirius was on the run. He sighed as the door clicked shut behind him.


	4. Chapter 4: Displacement

Chapter 4: Displacement

Harry and Ron left not long after the conversation ended. There were a dozen questions still left unanswered, and Ashing's head was spinning. They were left in the room while nervous witches and wizards, some dressed in wizard cop robes others not, wandered in, asked them about any possible family members they could stay with, and wandered out. Ashing reiterated more than once that he was legal! That he was perfectly capable of taking care of his siblings until his parents got back, and that this wasn't a big deal, but each person would "tsk" or smile indulgently and leave them alone in the room again.

Eventually someone informed them their house was a crime scene, and they were not allowed to return to it, at which point Madison lost it and hissed that "they could stay in a flipping hotel if would get them out of the damn room." Jeff then raised his hand to order a "sandwich for table nine." The worker did not look pleased about this joke, but next wizard who wandered in gave them packages of bland gas station sandwiches and a few bags of chips. They all dug in, though their stomachs were turning with nerves. Their parents were actually fugitives, they were slowly realizing.

They soon found out that this meant they were going to be sent very far away that night. Most of their mother's family was scattered across the US and abroad, and the one sister their father had was an eccentric, who had shipped off to Germany about the same time their dad had high tailed it for the states. If they were to stay with family that night it would not be on rich Kansas soil. When they mentioned friends they could stay with, they were treated with similarly annoyed looks, and eventually a long condescending legal discussion about leaving children on strangers' doorsteps.

An hour after their cheep dinner Quincy was asleep on Ashing's chest. Madison had handed her over when she got heavy and Roe got rowdy. Though he was thirteen he had the spirit of someone much younger, and it took all of them to keep him together at times. Now he and Jeff were playing a rowdy game of chase around the table, while Adam slept on one end of it and Madison stood on the other end watching and half-participating in the game with a lopsided smile.

That was when Mrs. Clark finally returned, with her thick brown eyebrows scrunched together, and a scowl. "Get down from the table." She directed Madison, who hopped down without losing her smile. "We'll get you out to Creeks Corner tonight. You have family there." She then stated plainly.

Ashing raised a surprised eyebrow "So you found family who wanted us?"

The woman shrugged. "We can't keep you here, as you've all pointed out more than once. We would leave you at a hotel with Ashing, but unfortunately he is being held behind as the only adult." Ashing groaned having expected this but not wanting to believe it would actually happen. "I know, but they still think you might know something." She added accenting 'something' with a drawn out slurr.

"This can't be legal." Adam finally snapped, sitting up on the table and looking fiercely through bleary eyes at the woman.

"No, probably not, but they're all pretending and pointing fingers at the other international governments, and it's a wonder they aren't keeping all of you. So Ashing, I'm sure, will be fine, and you all can stay with family tonight, and tomorrow Ashing will, hopefully, be safely back with you." There were five mirrored stares, and the woman would have shrunk, but she had pointed her finger at the government and now she couldn't be held accountable for how bad this situation had become. They all grumbled as the got up to leave.

Ashing placed a grumpy Quincy on her feet again, then hugged or high-fived everyone as they left.

The woman led the five remaining children back to another grey room with one table, but this room was filled with junk. There were old coffee pots and jackets, old boots and broken umbrellas. "Portkeys." the woman explained. "We" she looked at her watch "will be taking that one-eyed doll in about 5 minutes. Your family doesn't have a floo" she scoffed. She looked at them, and then took in a surprised breath. "I almost forgot," and she pulled Adam's, Madison's, and Jeff's wands out of her robe. They mumbled thank yous and each took their respective wands. Then she handed a handful of candies back to Adam and walked over to a shelf where a dejected looking doll leaned against a chipped teapot.

Five minutes later they took the jerking portkey too far of a distance to a home they had never been to.

The house was old and brick, crammed between two other houses that were equally old, and brick. Adam thought that there was nothing nice about being sent to live with their relatives, but the kind couple met them in their two yard deep front yard wrapped in blue cloaks and smiling. The kids were brought inside to see a place with cozy comforts; pictures of their older cousins on the walls, couches that sunk from wear, and a kitchen with the design rubbed off the counters. The home was well lived in, and was lived well in.

Their mother's sister and her husband had counted up beds and come up two short, but there was the couch, and one of the beds was probably big enough for Quincy and someone else, and there was always the floor. The kids tried to smile politely, and took the lemonade and cookies that were offered, but they were all the while thinking mournfully of home. They already missed their individual bedrooms, the pop in their new fridge, and the radio that picked up Quodpot games instead of Wizilla's classic hits. At ten that night extra clothes were scrounged out of closets to sleep in, and before they knew it they were all half asleep.

* * *

Harry and Ron waited for clearance and flooed back to the ministry of magic, more disappointed in the day then they had been hours before, when they were sitting around the kitchen table. They had requested that the wizard cops find a way to hold the oldest boy, and had waited while something was maybe agreed upon. They hoped Ashing would share something once he was alone, but until then, they had nothing more than what they had hours earlier. Ron gave Harry a consoling pat on the back then headed on to his own home and his own bed.

Harry briefly considered heading back to his own home. Nothing would feel better than curling up alongside Ginny, feeling her warmth under his arm as they drifted off together. He tried to remember how long it had been since they went to bed at the same time. Between her covering late night Quidditch games, and him working the strangest hours he had since the debacle with Ninja Star Niles three years previously they had barely been together at night for three days in as many weeks. He wasn't tired, though, and before he knew it his legs were carrying him to the lifts, and he headed down to auror headquarters. He could wait to hear if they could keep the Williamson boy from there.

The large main room, sectioned off by desks and the occasional cubical walls was still bright, even at this hour. Harry checked the clock, it was already past midnight here, and well onto another day. The auror department didn't sleep. Even now it was awake with wandering secretaries and red robed witches and wizards just getting off shift, starting a shift, or staying late to finish mounds of paperwork. Harry sighed thinking about his own deeply buried desk. He had proudly filed away six reports yesterday, only to turn around remembering that those reports were at least two weeks behind schedule. Back at Hogwarts Hermione would have scowled at his tardiness, but Hogwarts was long behind him, and this was his career. He needed to get through at least some of the papers. He walked past a row of desks and turned a corner down a short hallway with dark wood paneling, chipped in several places by hazardly thrown spells or more hazardly thrown witches and wizards. He slipped into his office at the end of the hall. The locked door handle turned with the touch of his hand.

He had picked this office instead of taking the traditional one. This one was smaller, but it had a magicked window, and enough space for a large desk, cabinets, and two guest chairs. He walked around to the back of the dark brown wood desk, and sat in his creaking office chair. At some point he had thought that being head of the auror department would mean less paperwork, more fieldwork. He suspected Molly had planted that thought in his mind to make sure he got the safer job of doing desk work, because the paperwork had only increased sevenfold with his promotion. Of course he still got his fair share of action, and usually the best action. He still caught his fair share of dark wizards, but he didn't always like the leadership that came with it. When things backfired they backfired all the way back to him, and when things went wrong he couldn't help but blame himself.

Harry flipped through the Williamson file again with the added information about all of the kids, then sighed and set it on top of a pile of papers on his desk. He picked up another file and started flipping through it. It was hours later when he finally tossed a report from this week's raid in a Knockturn Alley shop back onto his desk. He felt mildly accomplished that he had gotten back to paperwork from this week, but when he checked the clock his heart sank, it was already 3:30 in the morning. He was due to be back at work at 8 the next morning, or this morning now. He needed to get home, tired or not, having heard from the U.S. or not. Harry groaned as he got to his feet, his body, battered by years of being an auror, protesting slightly.

He walked back to the main office, he could take a floo from the Atrium, and check out the office on the way out. In the main room Kevin Miles, an auror who had been around for a number of years, but still managed to make rookie mistakes seemed to be checking boxes off an incident report form at the front desk. Harry smiled wearily at him. "Another incident Miles?" He asked.

Kevin, who despite being Harry's subordinate, had never been much for formalities replied "Oh yeah, Harry, several, but no." He said looking at the paperwork in front of him. "Just thought I'd fill out one of these travel documents." He answered. Harry raised an eyebrow. Those forms were usually filled out upon returning from work with a foreign security agency, or right before leaving, he supposed.

"Where've you been?" Harry inquired.

"Oh no, not where've been, where'm headed." He piped up, suddenly snapping the paper out in front of himself to double check that he'd filled out the paper correctly. Despite his many flaws in practical application of being an auror, Kevin's paperwork was usually filed perfectly and perfectly on time as well. He finished enough incident reports that he could fill them out in his sleep and Harry supposed that had something to do with that particular talent.

Harry sighed, not sure he wanted to know why Kevin was going abroad, in the middle of the night. He hoped it wasn't far, and wasn't anything important. Unfortunately with Kevin, your desire to know what he was up to had nothing to do with whether or not he would tell you what he was doing.

"So you know we've been monitoring the smuggling thing." Kevin started in. Harry nodded, they had had people keeping an eye on the situation day and night for weeks.

"So the guys, you know the guys, the ones you sent to the US today?" Harry nodded as Kevin continued "They were all over at the Kansas house right, checking things over, talking to some of the wizard cops, chattin' things up, when suddenly, outta nowhere these punks show up." Harry's eyebrows shot up. Kevin was talking about the Williamson's house. He swore inwardly for putting Kevin on monitoring duty tonight. "Not impressive punks let me tell you that, but they were big enough to throw a good punch, get in a good jinx or two, stinger hex like you wouldn't believe, apparently."

"Keep going Kevin" Harry tried to hurry him up, suddenly very interested.

"Well, so the we think these punks, they're workin' for one of our direct deposit guys."

"Who?"

"Oh, ya know, the people the smugglers were selling direct to, instead of on the underground." Harry nodded trying to follow Kevin's attempt at code or slang, but he hoped the man would just get to the point already. "So the punks, well they figure out pretty fast that the smugglers, well they aren't there, so before the aurors pick all of them off, the ones we don't have, well, they split. Well the wizard cops and our guys figure, hey that's it right? They're gone, I mean we have one, might get some info from her. But the others are gone and it's over with, but sure enough a house in Minnesota gets blasted a couple hours later. And you know they don't think much of it. Maybe a potion explosion, family argument gone sour, upturned cauldron. But nope, guess what it was."

Harry was not amused, and as opposed to guessing, merely looked at Kevin until the man continued.

"Whatever, turns out the house was ransacked, lucky the family weren't their, or we suspect they'd be kidnapped by now. Tryin' to hold the smuggler's family for ransom for goods, or as punishment, can't tell."

Harry nodded, planning to be patient, but suddenly six pairs of eyes slammed into his memory and he needed to know, now, whose house it was. "Miles, who did that house belong to?"

"Heh? The smuggler wife's cousin, or something, oh, no, her niece, it was a niece."

Harry spit out a cuss and made off down the hallway he had just come down, drowning out the annoyed calls of Kevin, who, of course, hadn't finished his story.

Harry barreled down the short hallway and into his office. He chucked a handful of floo powder into the fire and stepped in calling "Permission for international transfer, United States, Department of Magic." Harry stood for several seconds. There were very few floos in The U.K. that could connect to international transfers, let alone get permissions, but the Head Auror's office was one of them, and he usually didn't have to wait for more than a few seconds to get a transfer response, but he waited and waited. He was about to get out and attempt to reconnect when the green flames burst higher and the twisting, dizzy feeling of flying through the floo network overpowered him.

He landed heavily on top of a Hibachi grill seconds later, coughing dust and slowly catching on fire. He swore as he jumped off the table and put out the fire with a quick spell. He then went rushing down the hallway, into the arcade, behind the bar and down the stairs. He pulled out his auror badge in case he needed to show it to any random security, but nobody seemed interested in stopping the black haired man in auror robes rushing down the almost deserted halls of a foreign magical government's office.

He didn't know where Mrs. Clark's office was, or if she'd be there at this hour, he didn't know who at this point would be privy to information about the Williamsons' location. However, if they had managed to keep Ashing, that boy would know. Harry struck up a path to him, because paths to cells were always easy to follow. After a quick word with the woman at the front desk he was let through to the cells.

He passed several surprised looking guards before stopping in front of a small quiet cell with angry pink bars. Screaming bars he reminded himself quickly before accidentally placing his hands on the cold metal. "Ashing?" He asked into the small room. He could see the boy standing inside, hands interlocking on the top of his short black hair. "Do you know where they took your siblings?" He asked trying to catch his breath, trying to steady his question, and not make it sound like the head of the auror department was asking an urgent life or death question. Though that's exactly what he was doing.

"Aunt Eliza, and Uncle Joe's." The lanky teen replied, stepping forward with a quizzical look. Harry nodded.

"Do you have an address?" Harry demanded, but Ashing could only shrug.

"We don't talk to them. Mom pretends they don't exist. We don't visit." Harry sighed, "plan B", he thought, but then Ashing scrunched up his face. "I do remember something about Creeks Cross. They live in Maryland, is there a Creeks Cross community there?" Harry had no idea. There was a cough behind them and he and Ashing both turned to the sound.

"There's, um a Creeks Corner, big wizarding community there" said a tall bearded officer standing guard at the end of the hall. Harry nodded a thanks to Ashing and turned to talk to the officer.

"Wait why?" Ashing yelled to the disappearing back of the auror. He grabbed the bars in front of him, but quickly let go as the metal vibrated suddenly and gave off a loud scream. While Ashing closed his eyes and covered his ears, there was an inaudible crack as Harry and the Guard disappeared from the disapparition point at the far end of the hall.


	5. Chapter 5: Up in Flames

Chapter 5: Up in Flames

It was still dark outside as Harry and the guard landed heavily on a cobbled road. Harry had side along apparated, and although he was impressed by how far the man had traveled, he was shaken by his lousy landing.

He had no time to dwell on this for his eyes were already flicking up to check his surroundings. There were walls of brick buildings, some bearing shop signs, patches of green grass and old, dirty cars lining the edge of a skinny street. Up ahead was an intersection with a light swaying lazily in the warm night breeze, but his attention stayed there for only a second before shifting further down the street to a house where sparks were blasting out a first story window.

Without wasting a second Harry apparated the extra quarter mile down the road to the brick house. He pulled a small round ball out of his pocket, and tapped it with his wand. It suddenly shimmered in the dark as he spoke the names of the two aurors he had stationed in the states. He bit it then tossed it onto the front lawn, successfully alerting them to his exact location. He knew it was only two members of his force, but he hoped they would bring along wizard cops upon the realization that Harry was on American soil. He took no time for a breath, or second thought but stormed through the front door, the brief memory of several order members lecturing him about his impulsiveness dashing through his head. He reassured himself by remembering that if the aurors in Kansas could scare these "punks" off, surely he could do the same.

He entered into a living room, lit with only a few torches, and bearing the signs of a struggle. Before he saw any intruder he was sent ducking from a spell shot at his head from his right. He spun to find a young man with his arm held tightly around the neck of an older gentleman who was struggling ferociously. The younger man shot another spell in Harry's direction but the auror deflected it, sending it spiraling into a framed picture of a smiling young girl on the far wall. The glass cracked loudly as Harry screamed "expelliarmus." The young man tumbled onto his side brining his bounty with him, but holding tight to his wand. Harry didn't waste a second but sent another spell in their direction. It was crudely deflected and the man on the ground snapped his vision over his shoulder nervously before looking back at the auror. Both the auror and the man on the floor flicked their wands to send a spell, but the sound of twin pops echoing from the front lawn drowned out their words. Sparks erupted behind Harry. The young man took the split second chance he had, and with a great deal of effort and luck dissaparated.

Harry quickly realized what the young man had been glancing at before apparating out, for behind the man was Jeff covering his head on the ground behind an overturned coffee table.

Before Harry could turn to greet the aurors who had rushed into the house, a blur of tangled black hair shot across the room and a angry scream echoed from the floor above. Harry called for the aurors to try and follow the apparated man, then rushed straight for the stairs without looking behind him. Jeff was accounted for, as was his sister who had grabbed her brother's wand from the floor, shoved it into his hand and pulled him up against the nearest wall and into a semi-defensive position. Both young wizards were now pointing their wands accusingly at the aurors who had just entered.

Harry skipped every other step on his assent, his skin prickling with the anticipation that spells would soon be fired at him. He rounded the corner at the top of the stairs past a door and into a hallway in time to see a spell crack the wood of an old door into thousands of tiny splinters.

A tall blonde-haired woman and an intimidatingly burly man stood a short way down the hall shooting spells into the room where the door had just been blasted off. The pair was surprised a second later by an onslaught of several poorly aimed but rapid jinxes flying out of the room. Harry added his own volley of curses into the mix, one meeting its mark and sending the man's wand flying down the hall. Not impressive fighters, Harry reminded himself, ducking low to avoid a stinging hex.

There was another angry scream from the room, and an indecipherable warning yell from somewhere below, but Harry felt compelled to continue his barrage of jinxes until the man was tied up on the floor. The woman was being backed slowly into the far wall, but was trying hard to hold her ground. Her eyes were locked on Harry's wand, rookie dueling mistake, and Harry took a breath deciding between several spells of incapacitation. He flicked his wand once again, but before the spell met its mark the woman, with a scowl, dissaparated. Behind him the stairs creaked loudly and an auror strode up to his side.

"Fire downstairs." He informed his superior. Harry held a defensive stance as he looked back at the auror, who was also keeping an eye out for any surprises. That was the final spell the stranger had screamed downstairs, Harry realized. Surely a weak fire spell, but hard to control nonetheless. He cursed as he carefully walked down the hall and up to the blasted off door. What was left of it was swinging from the bottom hinge. Harry sniffed, noticing it was starting to smell like smoke.

"Did you follow the apparation downstairs?" Harry asked of his companion. Smoke began to ripple around his ankles and the crackle of a fire was audible from downstairs.

"Patton tried." The second man answered glancing Harry's way. He worried that the fire would soon be rushing through the house. His mind flicked from the situation to the wizards and witches who had just successfully stolen bait in the form of the old man. Bait for the aurors, the wizard cops, and Mrs. Williamson. He made a snap decision.

"Take this guy, get the children downstairs, and take them all to auror headquarters" He commanded, nodding to the wiggling body on the floor.

"Sir, international borders." The auror argued.

"Lie!" Harry called through the thickening smoke before he rushed forward into the room that, despite having a lit torch, was starting to darken in the rippling grey air.

Harry cut through the haze with a quick spell and a bubble of clean air appeared for a meter out in front of him. In the space created he found Adam bent over and cursing up a storm. He was holding his left arm where an angry red welt the size of a bludger was peaking out between the fingers of his right hand. Blood trickled from a cut under his heavily disheveled hair. At his feet was an older woman about the same age as the man downstairs, apparently stunned. Far behind them, in a corner, under the haze of a weak protection charm sat huddled Roe and Quincy. Harry let out an involuntary sigh of relief. "Accounted for", he thought to himself. Everyone except the uncle, he remembered, angrily. He wondered how many family members Mrs. Williamson had, and whether they would be spending the rest of the night putting out these fires.

Adam glanced up at Harry then in a fit of anger, spat at Harry's feet with another curse. "Have a better idea to keep us safe?" The boy asked through gritted teeth. Harry didn't reply but took Adam's arm as gingerly as possible and with a flick of his wand the slowly increasing size of the sting on Adams arm stopped, and the reddening slowed. Adam sighed involuntarily.

"Better?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. Adam coughed on the smoke in reply and stumbled to the back corner where Roe and Quincy were huddled.

Harry squatted down to the woman on the floor. "Enervate" he whispered quietly, but the woman didn't stir. "Not stunned" he mumbled, surprised. He checked for a pulse on her wrist, and feeling the slight pound of a heartbeat, relaxed. He didn't know where the nearest medial center was. He had only a vague clue where Maryland was, let alone Cross Corner, but the officer who had brought him here would.

Harry created a stretcher, and levitated the woman onto it. He checked the room, there were no windows in it, but there had to be at least one on this floor. He got to his feet, without noticing the creak in his knees and peaked out the door and into the hallway.

The hall was filled with thick opaque smoke. "Manifesto Exito" he called and sparks burst from his wand and made a trail to the nearest exit. They rushed through the door Harry had passed at the top of the stairs. There was likely a window beyond the door.

Harry looked wearily toward the steps and could see the flickering of light from a fire burning away mercilessly below them. If it came any closer they would be completely cut off from their way out. "We're leaving through the window in the other room." He called to the group across the room. Harry thought he saw Adam glare for a moment before coughing into the smoke again. Harry shot three identical spells across the room, and small bubbles appeared around each of the children's heads. He did the same to himself and the woman lying unconscious on the stretcher.

Harry took no time to prepare himself at the door, but rushed out of the room and to the top of the stairs. The flames were eating away the house at a terrifying rate. Colorful pieces of wallpaper curled and snapped in the heat. The stairs crackled as the fire burnt away years of wear and tear. The heat there was almost unbearable and the handle of the door stung his fingers as he pried it open. He levitated the woman down the hall and into the new room as quickly as possible, then turned and cast as many ice and water spells as he could as Adam directed the others down the hall.

The heat burnt the tips of his fingers and he was momentarily afraid his wand would catch fire. Before anything more was alight however, Quincy and Roe made it over the threshold and Harry let himself take a step away from the flames. He motioned for Adam to rush across but something caught the boy's foot on the way and before Harry could catch him he was on the floor fumbling to free his pant leg from whatever had trapped him. Harry fell to his knees, trying to clear the air with his wand so they could both see better.

Adam's wand had fumbled from him in his panicked fall, and he called anxiously for Harry to find it. The auror cast a look around them, the heat becoming almost too great to handle. He threw another cold spell over his shoulder and the heat let up for a second, just long enough for Harry to spot and grab the boy's wand then turn to slip into the room, still on his knees.

Harry was reaching back to pull Adam, pants or no pants, into the room when his shoulder was shoved by an icy blast and Roe fell over him and into the hall, half on top of his older brother. The air around the boy was surprisingly clear as he reached for his brother's pant leg. The fire reached the top step and inched closer to Adam. Harry knew time was running short and could feel heat from the fire below reaching through the ground. Ceiling beams and floor beams were burning, he knew, but he watched, stunned, as Roe wiggled his brothers leg free while both of them were held in a bubble of cold air.

As soon as he was free Adam flung himself and his brother back into Harry and all three tumbled into what Harry now recognized as a girl's bedroom. There was pink wallpaper and unicorns, but Harry was far more interested in the window at the far end of the room where he could almost see wind chimes hanging between lacy white curtains. Harry blasted out the window letting the glass fracture into the night air. They all darted around the double bed and stood before the window.

"Cushioning spell." Harry explained, and Adam pushed Roe forward. Harry suspected even without his own cushioning spell, Roe's inadvertent magic would save his from a fall from a second story window, but the boy glanced with worry back at Adam. The older boy gave his brother an impatient nudge and a second later Roe jumped through the window. Harry cast a well-placed cushioning spell and the boy landed softly on the ground. Then Adam tossed his screaming and scrambling younger sister out the window before quickly following her. Harry levitated the woman out, then folded himself up as well as possible and slipped through the frame.

They landed on a brick patio backyard not much wider than the front, and partitioned off from the neighbors by a tall wooden fence. The air was clearer, and cool. Harry removed the bubble heads of everyone as they picked themselves up and looked back at the house they had just escaped. The brick on the outside of the building was holding tight against the flames but at least one widow had been blown out by the heat. Harry shot a hole into the wooden fence and the gang stomped into the neighbor's backyard. He was beginning to hear the panicked chatter of the community rushing out of their homes to catch sight of the burning home. In the distance he heard a fire engine, so a muggle must have called an emergency number.

Harry rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, his fingers still tingling from the heat of the fire. "Auror headquarters", he thought, but then had a better idea. He let the injured woman's stretcher float to the ground and shot green sparks into the air.

Moments later the officer he had apparated to the town with appeared haggard and confused through the hole in the fence. Harry gave him a grimacing smile and nodded toward the woman lying on the stretcher.

"Sir?" The man asked.

"Nearest hospital I think. I'll be using a floo to get back to the department with this lot." Harry explained to the man, who stared at him open mouthed before nodding slowly and reaching down to hold the woman's hand. It wasn't every day he saw a house go up in flames. There was a sudden pop and both people disappeared. Harry rubbed his hands together as the sirens grew louder, until they were blaring just on the other side of the house.

Harry looked up. Someone had said this was a wizarding community, therefore someone must be attached to the floo network. There were a few chimneys scattered around the neighborhood, but he couldn't tell which ones were wizard homes, and he wanted to be sure if he was about to sneak into someone's house. Even then he would have to floo to a location with an international connection.

He could apparate, he supposed. It was just a couple hundred miles; unfortunately it was with side-along apparation, and he didn't want to splice anyone. No matter what, Floo or apparation, there would have to be an explanation to the U.S. Department of Magic about why he was flooing to London with them. He would rather ask for forgiveness after hiding the kids somewhere safe, than ask for permission.

A portkey would need a prearranged destination and that would be difficult. It would get them the distance they needed though. A portkey would also be easier than smuggling three kids across the ocean hanging under a broomstick.

Harry stuffed his hands into his pockets. He would just pop over to headquarters himself, go to London, set up a portkey there, then bounce back here for the kids. It wasn't any worse than the time James had found an old cat food can in the woods by their house and had ended up in Russia. The only things Harry was worried about was guaranteeing their safety while he was setting up the portkey, and keeping them in one place while he did so, but he had to try.

"Adam, do you think you could hide out here for half an hour?" He eventually asked. The boy shrugged, not sure what Harry was getting at.

"I'm going to get you out of here, and to a safer place." Harry continued, keeping his plan to take them to London as secret as possible. Adam began to roll his eyes, but then looked over to the burning house, and perhaps it was the fear, but he nodded. Harry hustled the group around to the neighbor's front lawn and down the street, until they were a good distance from the chaos. They kept walking until Harry found an alley he approved of. Adam checked the alley carefully as they slipped into it. He handed Adam's wand back to him with a nod then disillusioned each of them. He gave them all one final serious look, then apparated back to the U.S. department of Magic.

It was almost exactly a half hour of crouching in a dark alley before they saw Harry again; huffing, but successful.


	6. Chapter 6: Displacement Pt 2

Chapter 6: Displacement Pt. 2

As soon as he got his bearings Ashing plucked Quincy off the wooden floor and clung as tightly as possible to her. She soon not only had her arms around his neck but was digging her small nails into his skin. She smelled of mothy clothes and smoke, but she was alive. He could feel her shaking with quiet sobs and her cheeks were wet, but she was alive.

"She wants Mom" he heard someone say from the floor.

The room he and Harry had apparated into after they had both used an international floo connection to get to the Ministry of Magic was dark despite the early morning grey light creeping through the windows. He tried to figure out the time difference between Salem and Britain in his head, but wasn't even sure of the time in Salem. They must have moved forward, but by how much he didn't know.

A heavy hand rested on his shoulder. Ashing jumped inwardly as he spun to see who was attached to the hand. Harry Potter stood before him once again, his eyes still bright with action. The man scanned Quincy for any signs of damage then turned to Adam who was sitting on the floor having his head dabbed at by a frazzled looking Roe.

Ashing blinked at his brothers, the lump in his throat that had been there for hours seemingly growing larger. He looked around again, but that was it, Madison and Jeff were still missing, and dread began to creep through Ashing's chest. "You alright." Harry asked far too calmly for the situation. Ashing didn't nod but continued scanning the room for his missing siblings.

The place looked like an empty restaurant, or bar, with wooden tables and chairs flipped upside down on top, and a wooden bar with a new layer of blue accenting paint. It smelled woody but clean, with the soft scent of food seemingly built into the atmosphere. Harry knelt down to Adam's level and easily repaired the cut that was buried under matted hair.

Before Ashing could gather his courage and demand to know where Madison and Jeff were, Harry stepped away from the group and over to a large fireplace on the far wall. He whispered, "any second now" to himself. Ashing was surprised a moment later when the light from the waning fire burst into green flames. Everyone was looking in the direction of the flames when out stepped a man. He was broad and slightly taller than Harry, with short brown hair, a round face with a neatly trimmed beard, and a warm smile, despite the late hour. He laughed openly upon seeing Harry standing at the fireplace and the two embraced with smiles.

"Harry, it's five blasted thirty in the morning! Can I ask why a certain coin of mine started whistling and sparking?" The new addition demanded hitting Harry on the arm good-naturedly and holding up a still steaming and hissing gold coin.

"Broken probably." Harry replied lightly stepping away from his old friend. "I meant for it to whistle and spell out 'meet at the Leaky Cauldron.' Glad you made it though." He added in explanation. His friend laughed.

"Well it did eventually spit out some sparks that said that, before lighting Hannah's favorite curtains on fire." Harry cringed apologetically, but gathered himself and ushered his friend back over to Ashing and his siblings. Adam slowly made his way back up to his feet as Harry began introductions, "Neville these are" Harry stopped, uncertain, then changed his course of action, "Well, Ashing, Adam, this is Neville Longbottom, an old friend of mine." For the third time in twelve hours Ashing had a moment of pure disbelief. He knew the name Neville Longbottom, could recite the words he spoke at the battle of Hogwarts, had six copies of his chocolate frog card, could recite the words on that as well. He tried not to show how stunned he was as Harry continued, "and if things work out he's going let you stay here the rest of the night." Neville's face sunk a bit.

"Awe, Harry you know this is Hannah's thing, and we've hired a separate manager now that she's got the healer's job over at Hogwarts." He gave a slight sigh, but it didn't sound like them staying the night was out of the question. Harry wasn't thrown off by this admission but went back to introductions.

"This is Ashing and his younger siblings, Adam, and Quincy." He said with confidence then pointed to Roe "and. . . I want to say Jeff?"

"Roe." Adam stated.

"But speaking of Jeff, where is he?" Ashing fired, trying his hand at confidence, though his voice still shook. Harry paused, then answered carefully.

"They were with aurors when I came to get you. They've been flooed back to auror headquarters." This wasn't comforting to any of the older kids. Roe gave Adam a worried look and Adam scratched his slightly burn upper arm nervously. "It's been a hectic night, and communications can get crossed. This isn't the usual place for a meeting after a rescue mission." Harry continued in his all too calm voice.

"Especially one that took place on American soil." A new voice was added to the group as Ron stepped out of the floo network. He walked over to the group and with a broad smile held out a hand for Neville. "Neville! Good to see you mate. How's Hannah? Ready for the school year to start?" Ron rapid fired friendly questions.

"Hannah's great, she'll be surprised about this." Neville said motioning to the group before him. "But not more surprised than she already is about this" he added holding up his old coin. Ron raised an eyebrow and turned on Harry.

"You could have just flooed him." He pointed out.

"Yes well, I was trying to keep this slightly quieter than a floo conversation from headquarters would be." Harry told them with a cheeky grin. "I wanted as few people as possible to know where these kids are, at least for the time being." He added more seriously. "Which brings me to this. Could you watch them?" He motioned to the kids. "Or run to headquarters? I think a few of the children were taken to the wrong place." At Harry's question Ron silently counted the number of children before him. "I'll tell them I'm taking them back to the states, and come back here with them, or something."

"I'll wait here, you know how I am with sneaking people out of headquarters. Terrible at it." Ron smiled at Harry and a story passed quietly between the two of them before Harry turned where he stood and apparated away.

"Why he does that I'll never know, can't apparated into headquarters anyway." Ron mumbled at Neville who stuffed his hands deep into his pockets still eyeing the children before him. Neville have gathered that they were American, and needed to be hidden? He both wanted to ask and didn't want to know what brought them all to this place at this hour of the night. He knew there were open rooms at the Leaky Cauldron, and who better to fill them with than children being watched over personally by Harry Potter.

"Would you all like something to drink?" Neville asked the room at large after a noticeable pause.

"You have Butterbeer?" Ron asked rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Neville nodded and headed back behind the bar. "Anyone else?" He asked pulling a bottle out from under the counter.

"Beer?" Ashing asked with a raised eyebrow. Neville smiled back, definitely American then.

"Um, no, more like." He tried to pluck up a word, something he had heard from other American wizards and witches passing through. "Root beer? Not much alcohol involved. Doesn't taste like root beer though." He added. He quietly pulled up a Butterbeer for himself and with hope three more. He unscrewed the tops and handed one to each of the older children as he came back around the counter. Ashing's hand shook as he took the bottle from the man.

Next to him Adam had plucked Roe's out of his hand with an exclamation of "Whoa, give it a second." He searched the side for an ingredient list, and finding something suitable scrunched his nose as he read through the short list before handing it back. "Sugar." He shrugged over to Ashing, who shrugged back.

"Your fault if he's up all night." Ashing added. Roe happily and quickly chugged back several gulps. Ashing and Adam both took tentative drinks and were pleasantly surprised by the result. "We need to get these back in the states." Ashing mumbled to Neville. "Thank you." Neville smiled back at him and he couldn't help but quickly avert his gaze back to his little sister's red, blotchy face.

"No problem, anything for friends of Harry's." Neville replied. "You all from the states?" He asked for clarification.

Ashing nodded, but didn't add anything. Neville began to pull chairs off a large round table in the middle of the room. Adam set his drink down and walked over to help him with the last few chairs.

"Where from then?" Neville asked.

"Middle America." Ashing said pointing to a place about a foot away from his face as if pointing at a map of the U.S.

"Ah. You go to Witchita Academy?" Neville asked.

"Yes, well no. I just graduated. Adam's gonna be a seventh year, Jeff'll be a fourth year, he's not here. Yet." He noted nervously, glancing around the room again. "But Madi goes to The Salem Witch's Institute in Massachusetts."

Neville smiled brightly, "Oh wow, fantastic school, old too. There's a wonderful woman working there in Herbology. She came to the Hogwarts grounds a few years back to look at some of our local flora." He went on for a moment about shrubbery while Adam slumped down into a seat and motioned for Roe to sit in the seat next to him. After a brief squabble Roe perched himself on the seat to his left bouncing on his heals. Ashing followed their lead and sat down, still holding Quincy tightly to his shoulder, though she was slowly releasing her grip on his neck.

Ron looked to the Floo, expecting Harry to come back any minute then joined the others at the table. "And Ron, your young ones are going into third and, oh yes, Hugo will be starting this year. That will be wonderful." Neville noted.

"Oh yes, wonderful, he and Lily haven't stopped talking about it since, well forever, or at least the last two years." He said, then quirked a smile. "I love 'em like no other, but I can't wait for the peace and quiet of having all the kids out of the house though." Neville's smile was understanding. Though he and Hannah had never had children of their own, they felt that between Hogwarts and the Leaky Cauldron their home would never be quiet, or peaceful. They were happy that there would always be friends around the table though. Even if those friends chose to drop in at odd hours.

There was a crack behind them and Harry appeared in the dimly lit pub holding tightly to two teenagers with grouchy faces. The lump in Ashing's throat settled and a knot in his stomach he hadn't even realized was there untied. He felt a smile crack thankfully over his mouth. Nothing but a few scratches covered the teen's faces and hands.

They detached themselves from Harry and stumbled over to the table. Neville stood up and grabbed three more Butterbeers from behind the counter. He tossed one to Harry and set the other two in front of Madison and Jeff who had set themselves as far from the aurors and stranger as possible. Madison scooted onto Roe's chair and Jeff pulled a chair back from the table and planted himself as close to Adam and as far from Neville as possible. Harry told Ron briefly of how he had gotten the kids out and the room settled momentarily into silence. Eventually Adam picked Jeff's Butterbeer off the table and handed it to him.

"Try it, it's good." He informed his brother. Jeff glared around the table then took the bottle, untwisted the top and sipped. Adam smirked, expecting the boy had grudgingly liked it.

Harry sat down lightly but with great effort between Ron and Neville. He was weary, and the feeling of being off his feet felt like falling onto a cloud. There was silence around the table. Wonderful silence. No screaming aurors, no roaring fire or spells, blasts or instructions being yelled. Harry drank it in as long as he could get away with, but eventually Ron broke the silence. "We gonna tell the kids the plan?" Harry breathed out and nodded. "The semi- plan." Ron added under his breath. Ashing eyed them both suspiciously.

"We want to keep you in here." Harry clarified in Ashing's direction. "Under Ministry of Magic boundaries. Stay here, we can keep an eye on you, keep you safe."

Ashing nodded slowly. Harry had rushed through a similar plan as they were dashing through the process of lying to floo management personnel at the Ministry of Magic.

"We're in Britain?" Jeff asked glancing over to Madison with a scrunched face. Adam smacked the side of his brother's head, but Madison just shrugged.

"I'm assuming we don't have to worry about you all smuggling, as none of you seemed to have any clue your parents were even involved in it." Harry continued.

"Stop for a second though." Adam cut in. "If we're under Auror protection that also means if our parents try to get in contact with us you'll be the first to know. You'll be using us as bait to get to them, just like those thugs who tracked us to Maryland were trying to do." Adam retorted pointedly. Ashing nodded at this revelation.

Harry nodded "That is true." He couldn't soften the blow. "But your parents had to suspect someone would come after you if you left. Surprisingly they didn't leave you any alternate instructions, and they understand the ins and outs of their business and maybe even the auror business better than I do." He tried to explain. Ashing picked at a curl on Quincy's neck, fear and sadness welling up inside him. He didn't want to believe his parents would leave them out to be kidnapped. He didn't want to believe that they were all disposable, but the day was making him question so much about his life already, what was one more thing. The morose silence was finally cut by Adam snarking at the strangers.

"Fine, but we can't be here long, school starts next week, we'll all have to be back on U.S. soil by then." It was a weak argument, but it was more than the rest of them had.

Harry pushed against the back of the seat. He didn't want the opportunity to have the closest link to the smugglers under his control to slip through his fingers. His brain scanned through options.

"Where do you attend school?" He asked, hoping they went to one of the more safeguarded schools in the U.S.

"Witchita Academy connected to the Wichita public school system." Ashing answered.

Harry stopped short. "a day school?" he asked, stunned.

"Well, Madi goes to The Salem Institute." Ashing continued. Next to him his sister was playing a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with Roe below the level of the table.

Harry shook his head. "Won't do, after today, what are the chances you all will be safe there. Madison maybe, but a day school in Wichita, can't be protected." Harry calculated his odds. How long could it really take to catch their parents, or cut out the smuggling problem altogether and get to the dark wizards buying the ingredients? How long would it take to get the punks they had held at auror headquarter to talk? Harry blew out breath in annoyance.

"Hogwarts?" He suggested, glancing questioningly over to Neville. The auror's friend in question shook himself out of quiet contemplation. Adam was following this conversation with interest. Were they planning where they would live, without giving them a say in any of it?

"Um?" Neville thought. Then coughed.

"You said your father was British, you might be short listed at Hogwarts anyway, it might be easier than we think." Harry interjected before Neville could finish.

Adam's look of disapproval turned to a scathing glare. "You can't just pull us out of our schools!" He argued.

"And we're not even in school." Ashing noted, pointing to himself and Quincy. "What are we supposed to do?"

"We can work on that." Harry said soothingly. He felt, not for the first time in his life, like the adults he used to fight against as a student. Calming, condescending, even when his life was being picked up and shook out.

"You don't have a choice at this point." Ron added, always ready to jump to Harry's aid. "We can file paperwork, put you are under our protection, and after last night, you can't grudge us that. Neither will your wizard cops." Ashing gaped at the men.

"The wizard cops want out of this whole situation, sooner rather than later." Harry clarified.

"We can grudge that." Adam bit out, in Ron's direction, accenting each word.

"That may be so, but you can't do anything about it. Hogwarts starts on the 1st, if Neville and Hannah agree you can stay here until that date. There is some money from the school and an auror fund you can use for clothes and supplies, and we may be able to bring over some of your things from the states." Ron continued. He looked apologetic but was also certain that this was the best way to keep them safe, and wasn't about to back down. The color in Adam's face was quickly turning to a boiling red.

"But what about our lives, I have friends!" Adam hissed and caught sight of Jeff nodding along next to him.

On his other side the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors was getting oddly fierce. Madison sat up a little straighter in her chair. She hadn't taken a single drink of her Butterbeer, and Adam hadn't noticed. He hadn't bothered trying to force feed it to her. He barely noticed she was there.

"It won't be permanent. Who knows, this could all be over by next week." Harry tried again to placate them. "Especially if you help us locate your parents." He tacked on pointedly. He truly did hope it would be over by then.

Madison chewed on the inside of her cheek, debating whether or not to say anything, but when Adam took a breath to fling another counter at the aurors she finally snapped "I for one love this idea." at her brother. Adam turned to her, his face flickering between anger and confusion.

"What? I just think because you want to spend the first week of school making out with Tabitha, doesn't mean you should put your life in danger." Adam turned slightly pink, and Jeff laughed behind his Butterbeer. Ashing was slightly surprised by his sister's sudden outburst. "Oh come on. You're all thinking the same thing, that's all Adam does anyway. I, for one, don't really want to die." She added before muttering away under her breath. Roe slowly curled his feet under him and took one of his sister's hands in his own. She let him, then flopped back in their shared seat.

"You want to go to some strange school?" Ashing asked quietly, having heard her mumble something similar. Madison stayed adamantly still.

No one made to talk, not even the aurors across the table who were silently cheering on the one Williamson child who was on their side. Eventually she rolled her eyes and admitted, "I'm really sick of being stuck out at Salem's, alone. All the time! You all get to be home and have your fun at Witchita, and I'm alone on the other side of the country. It sucks. At least here we'd be together." Adam had to admit he felt defeated by this. At least enough so that he crossed his arms over his chest and remained silent.

On the other side of him Jeff finally spoke up. "It could be kinda cool though, wouldn't it? If they assign us seats alphabetically in class I could cheat off your papers, like in elementary school." Madison glanced his way and an unspoken appreciation passed between the two. Adam sighed and looked up at the dusty rafters on the ceiling.

Ashing wiggled in his seat, there was still nothing figured out for him. "My teaching training starts this week as well." He pointed out to the gathered group. "I was set to apprentice to Mr. Tareek. How am I going to do that from here?"

"Apprentice what?" Harry asked.

"I was going to be a history of magic teacher. A teacher at Witchita is slowly starting to retire, I was setting up to take his place." He explained.

"We may be able to work something out. At least for advanced history of magic studies, and maybe some teaching work." Harry stated, racking his brain for something the oldest brother could do. He had been silently hoping that the oldest was still a seventh year, but he knew better, the boy was 18, and well above the age for that. He had also assumed the younger boy would be at Hogwarts, but he had since realized that the boy had no proper wand. The youngest, of course, would need cared for. Something would be worked out. He had a week, if he could just keep them at the Leaky Cauldron a little longer. Pick up any owls sent their way, wait them out and see if they say something. "We'll talk out details this week. For now, stay here, get an actual good nights rest." He said.

"And breakfast in the morning, of course," Neville added. "I should go get Hannah, and get these kids a room." He mumbled walking over to the stairs. Everyone else waited at the table. Madison and Jeff making faces at each other over their Butterbeers, and Roe slowly falling asleep on his older sister's shoulder.

Neville returned with a smiling woman in a fluffy sky blue bathrobe. She waved a hello and greeted the small group with hugs and handshakes before walking behind the counter and pulling out a heavy and dusty book. She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and flipped a page. "We have three rooms with double beds open until next week, but, oh well, then the Hogwarts busy season, we would have to move you all to two rooms for one night, if that's ok? We could always have someone sleep in our guest room at the school." She added looking up at the group. Ashing felt eyes on him. He was the decision maker, but when he said "sure that sounded fine," it felt like he was saying yes to much more than just rooms. Adam looked almost heartbroken. Harry told them that there would be an Auror stationed at the Leaky Cauldron at all hours and he would check in with them, then began to lead them upstairs.

The group tromped up behind him and began to figure out who would be where. The rooms were too spread out for Ashing and Adam's nervous comfort, but if there was at least one person with a wand in each room it would be ok. Madison with Quincy, Adam with Roe, and Jeff could stay in the room on the second floor with Ashing. The clocks in the rooms all showed 6 in the morning, not long to sleep before the sun would wake them and breakfast would be on the table, but long enough for their tired bodies. Before they knew it, most of them were asleep, with only Ashing lying awake in worry, and Madison lying awake in excitement.


	7. Chapter 7: The Other Use

"Breakfast" turned out to be served at two in the afternoon the next day, in a back room at the Leaky Cauldron. The kids were all still bleary-eyed and wearing their relatives' pajamas. Their sleep had been restful though they had each woken at times during the night surprised that they weren't being attacked, or angered by the fact that they were still sleeping in strange beds. Quincy lasted an hour before climbing into bed with Madison.

Rain had blocked out any sun that could have been shining through the pub's windows, but that was just as well, they were all in a rather rainy mood anyway.

As they waited for food to be set out Madison took a quiet interest in the building's architecture and the accents off the servers and customers. Ashing enjoyed the Longbottom's copy of the Daily Profit, where he was surprised to see the announcement of "another potion-induced death" covering the front page. Down the table Jeff perused the very short comics section. Roe took to looking in every extra room on the first floor and checking out all the new places to crawl under or on top of, while Adam looked on amused and with no intention of keeping his brother from causing the pub owners undue trouble.

The food at breakfast turned out to be delicious and familiar enough to be comforting. Adam, though, was not impressed by the coffee, and flat out refused the offered tea.

As was promised they were joined at breakfast by a stranger in maroon auror robes, who tried overly hard to engage them in conversations about their lives. He had little success, as his only topics were Quidditch and joke shops that didn't exist in the states. Eventually he succumbed to discussing the intricacies of children's literature with a suddenly talkative Quincy, who asked him several times where her parents were.

Instead of being helpful Jeff and Madison looked pointedly at the auror, withholding laughter, while he tried to avoid explaining why their parents had fled to South America. He was forced to fluster answers and steer the inquisitive child toward easier topics.

At the other end of the table Ashing was doing everything in his power not to pick every detail of the Second Wizarding War out of Mr. Longbottom's head. Instead he attempted to discuss the room's decorations and his work at Hogwarts.

After their late breakfast the auror informed the kids, rather unfortunately, that there was no possible way to get them back to their house for supplies. Hannah offered to take them to the second hand store for clothes that fit and didn't smell of smoke. She found a few robes they could be seen in public in and they all spent the rest of the evening getting enough supplies to last them the rest of the week.

As they glanced at the new clothes and games in store windows of Diagon alley they were all forced to face the fact that the simple decadence of their previous life had disappeared. Madison felt uncomfortable wearing clothes that she hadn't bought straight off the rack. Though Adam was no stranger to Ashing's second hand outfits he wasn't sure he was ready to give up his ability to buy new games and candy whenever he felt like it. Ashing too couldn't help but drool a little at the stacks of books set out in the window of Flourish and Blotts.

They had no money though. Not a cent from their parents' frozen accounts to spend on frivolous things, and so later that evening when they wandered back to the Leaky Cauldron wearing slightly worn robes they were all slumped, and slightly worried about what was to become of them.

The week wore on surrounded by borrowed books and games. There was a significant lack of Quadpot, and the radio was on almost constantly, the channels flipping in search of some entertainment. Arguments broke out, and entertaining the younger two became a larger chore than usual.

They all waited eagerly for word from Harry, and in the pit of their stomachs they all waited for word from their parents. Quincy was the only one to say it outright, and each time someone new would take the fall, explaining to her that their parents really couldn't be there right now, that they were busy, but of course they still loved them all very much. They knew that had to be true, despite the silence and the lies, their parents had to love them. They had to.

* * *

The aurors had gotten nowhere during those days. The two captured members of the group that had attacked the house legitimately knew nothing about the person who hired them. They insisted they weren't under the affects of any potion when they attacked, and furthermore they expected some reward for their work, but that was as far as the aurors got. The next day another family member's house was ransacked. Their continued to be no trace of the children's uncle, who was taken the night they were brought to the Leaky Cauldron.

The witch and wizard were set to be on trial for their crimes, and in the meantime Harry needed a new plan to follow his way up the ladder of evil. Nothing had come of the Williamson children. No one had attempted to contact them, no one had tried to attack them. Harry had, at least temporarily, weaseled his way out of explaining to both the U.S. and the Auror Department where exactly they were, and why, but he didn't know how long that would last. It made him slightly nervous, though not nearly as nervous as the rising count of, seemingly random, attacks.

Worst of all if nothing came of any of this by the following morning, he was set to take all of them off to Hogwarts and plead with Headmaster McGonagall to shelter them temporarily. Before that though, he would have to survive his children's Hogwarts farewell dinner with his very upset half-werewolf Godson.

"It's unfair!" Teddy roared from where he stood by the kitchen table. His hair was rotating through a series of violent shades of purple, red, and black. Harry took a steadying breath trying to stay his most irritating auror calm as the argument continued to escalate. The first full moon The Ministry of Magic had faced since the banning of the most important ingredient in the making of the cheaper alternative to Wolfsbane, had taken place a week ago. Support groups were up in arms, Ted rallying loudly among them.

Harry held the Daily Profit in front of him as a lifeboat, trying to avoid reading too many words out of the obituaries where another wizard's murder at the hands of the same ingredient in a different potion was spelled out.

"Yes, it's unfair." Harry agreed. "But there are" he was cut off before he could continue.

"Sick people, becoming sicker because they can't get what they need." Ted finished for his godfather.

"I was going to say dying, being killed." Harry replied, not looking up from the paper, but also not reading it.

"Really, because I was going to say that last week, Melinda Fairgrove ended up in St. Mungos because she can't get the medicine she needs to make it safely through a full moon. I was going to say that Edgar Eddings was fired last week because he can't afford Wolfsbane, so he missed a week of work." Teddy screamed desperately to the head of the auror department.

"And I'm telling you Ted, I have nothing to do with the Ministry's decision to ban Razorgrass, or the the Slugs, or"

"But you have sway." Ted pleaded. "You could convince them."  
"And I will, I promise I will." Harry answered firmly. "But right now I have not just one, but multiple dark wizards using these substances to mind control people, to kill. When this calms down, when we can clean up enough of the mess caused by this we can do something. We're getting closer every day." Harry said thinking briefly about the Williamson kids. "Until then, there's legislation trying to go through that would allow master potion makers to apply for the right to use those ingredients."

"It won't help" Ted sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. The roots of his hair were calming down to a light brown color, but his face still betrayed signs of being upset. "The price of getting the verification, to get the ingredients, and the special shipment process will go straight to the people buying the potion and Merlin knows they can't afford any more than they're paying for already."

Harry sighed as well and rubbed a hand down his face. Now that Ted was calming down Harry set the paper off to the side. "It would be a step in the right direction. They are discussing it in a few weeks. I plan to be there, arguing for its passing."

"You should be arguing for a lift on the ban." Teddy argued back with less ferocity than before. "And a few weeks is a few weeks too many." He added. Harry didn't disagree, but watched his godson cross his arms and stare down at the floor defiant, but possibly weary.

"I need to stop dark wizards, Ted."

"And I need to protect the community of people with lycanthropy." Ted countered.

"I know." Harry agreed. They were both quiet, and a voice in Harry's head was saying "I do too" but he couldn't bring himself to say it aloud. Instead he held out an olive branch. "But Ginny asked you over for dinner before the kids go back to school, so can we calm down on the screaming fight, and try for a civil dinner at least?" Harry asked, and to his surprise Ted cracked a smile.

"I've been missing civilized dinners with my extra family." He confessed, his smile faltering with an exhalation of breath.

Harry reached out and pushed a chair away from the table for Teddy to sit on. The young man slipped into it as Harry asked "so how's Victoire?" with a cheeky grin.


End file.
